CENTER DIRECTOR, JAMES BERNAUER, S.J.
ENDOWED KRAFT PROFESSOR AT BOSTON COLLEGE
James Bernauer, SJ (center) with
endowed professors Michael Naughton and Mary Crane
In Septem ber 2009 B os ton C ollege named Center Director James Bernauer, SJ the Kraf t
Professor. This endowe d professorship is in recogni tion of Fr. Bernauer’s intellectual
leadership, scholarly excellence, and his many contri bu ti ons bey ond the cam pus.
Through his distinguish ed teach ing and research, Bernauer, a h ighly-res pected pres ence
on the B oston College campus, h a s had an impact on n umerous undergraduate and
graduate stu dents.
In naming Bernauer the Kraft Professor, Provost and Dean of Faculties Cutberto Garza
indicated th at the B oston College administra ti on regards endowed pr ofessorships as
critical to the University’s academi c missi on. They prom ote excellence in tea chin g by
helping to r etain the fin est among B oston College’s faculty.
Fr. Bernauer has been a member of the Philos ophy Departm ent since 1980 and in 2008
was named director of the Center for Christian-J ewish Learning Center. A New York City
n a tiv e , h e w a s or d a in e d to th e pr ie s t h o od by C a r d in a l T e r e n ce C ook e in 1 97 5 .
His pu blish ed works include studies on French philosopher Michel Fou cault, the th ought
of Hannah Arendt, and various topics in H olocaus t stud ies. His current research is
devoted to three major concerns: C hristian -Jewi sh relations; a study of the spiri tual and
moral form ati on of German Cath oli cs prior to the rise of Nati onal Socialism; and the
investigation of the his tori cal encounters between Jews and Jesuits. He was an ori ginal
member of the “Jesuits i n Jewish-Ch ristian Dial ogue,” an associa ti on established by the
Jesuit order in 1998.
In acce ptin g this endowed profe ssorship Be rnauer stated: “It is an hon or to be
a s s oc i a te d t h r ou g h th i s C h a i r w i th th e K r a f t f a m i l y . I a m g r a te f u l f or th e i r g e n er ou s
concern w ith the c ontin uing impr ov ement of Jewish-Chris ti an relations and the w ork of
the Center a t B oston C ollege.” He indicated tha t the es ta blishment of th e professors hi p
will aid the Center’s cross-disci plin ary work, w hich w ill include a major internati onal
conference on the his tory of Jesuit and Jewish relations. “T
Th e Krafts’ gift is a recognition
of how im portan t this conversati on is, and the Center looks f orwar d to hel pin g to
continue pr om oting i t.”